Teamwork

“What are you doing?” Celosia asks me while I bend down into a starting sprint position.

“Testing something I’ve wanted to do for sometime.” I answer pushing my hands into the dirt. It is softer than I expected. I hope despite that this spell will still be effective. I focus on the ground around the stream.

“What the pit!?” Celosia yells in surprise as a pair of large dirt hands shoot up from the ground before quickly crumbling.

“Tougher than I thought.” I say panting for breath. That took a lot more effort than I was hoping.

“So you really don’t use implements.” Goodswell says bringing my focus back to our surroundings.

“Only reason I’m not top in the division.” I say still catching my breath. “They have some weird obsession with us using them.” I add before finally taking a deep breath.

“Traps are all set.” Chaska interrupts us walking up to the rest of the group and giving a slayer salute.

“Great!” Celosia replies returning her gaze to the horizon. “No sign yet, but the target will be here.” She adds.

“Just gives us more time to prepare.” I say before sitting down to refocus. But before that I ask Chaska “What elemental affinity do you have?”

“Ground and metal.” The trapper answers after pondering for a moment. Fire, ground, and metal that makes things simpler for me.

-- -- --

The sun begins to crest near the distant mountains, evening has arrived yet still no rhino in sight.

“There it is!” Celosia exclaims from atop the tree.

“Distance?” Goodswell asks her.

“Two erones.” The tracker answers. Well guess I will not be meditating like I wanted to.

“Which direction?” I inquire standing to my feet.

“From the west.” She answers.

“Set plenty of traps that way so it should be easier to take down.” Chaska says pulling his short spear from his back.

“The pace it’s moving at means we might have a little bit before it gets here.” The elf says while jumping down from the tree.

We hear a loud crushing sound in the distance followed by a creaking sound like metal falling apart.

“Skadi’s tits!” Chaska mutters in anger. “The bihorn is too heavy for the traps so they just break.” He explains fuming with anger.

“That definitely complicates things.” Goodswell says drawing his blade. “We’ll just have to do more work then Yamakuma.” He continues stepping westward towards our mark. He seems to have gotten the memo to at least pretend to not be so annoying.

“I’ll try to restrain it then.” I reply with a nod following the swordsman.

“How?” Celosia interjects breaking our cool guy moment. I stop and turn back to look at her before answering.

“You saw what I did earlier.” I respond turning back around and trying to continue the cool guy moment. Nope! Damn, the moment has passed.

“You could barely keep those giant hands together though!” She insists. I stop again and sigh.

“Being basically a prodigy has its benefits.” I reply matter-of-factly with a shrug before following Goodswell once more.

“That was kind of cool.” Chaska says with a bit of surprise from behind me.

I nearly reply with an audible thank you, but I hold myself back. That would not be cool.

The four of us crouch through the tall grass trying to remain hidden. Now that I think about it, rhinos do not have very good eyesight so this is kind of pointless.

“The thing can barely see.” I mutter aloud standing up.

“Seriously?” Caska asks popping up as well.

“Yeah.” I respond looking at the orc. “Got a real nasty temper though because of it.” I explain.

“How do you know that?” Celosia inquires stopping next to me.

“Read it in a book.” I quickly reply meeting the elf’s gaze. Not too difficult since her crouched is almost as tall as me standing.

“I see.” Goodswell stands up in front of the rest of us. “So best to try to distract it then.” He continues resting his chin in his free hand contemplatively.

We need some loud sound. I look around to find something that to help, until I see a familiar grouping of trees.

“Hey Celosia.” I say to the elf noticing a familiar mark on one of the trees. “You have a sling right?” I continue.

“Yeah.” The tracker answers with a bit of confusion filling her voice.

“Sling a stone over at those trees.” I explain pointing at the grouping.

“It’s called a bullet.” She responds a bit of annoyance filling her voice. “But I got you.” She adds putting a bullet into the sling.

“Sorry.” I quickly say stepping away from the teen so she does not hit me with the swinging projectile.

The bullet quickly flies from the sling making a loud THUNK! when hitting against the tree. Perfect shot! In response the rhino makes a loud bellow we can hear even from a dozen meters away.

“Sling another.” I instruct to the tracker. She does so. Hearing another loud THUNK! the rhino bellows again and charges toward the trees.

“Now to strike it whilst it’s unaware.” Goodswell says stepping towards the target.

“You got a death wish?” I mock the teen. He stops in his tracks and turns to me.

“Of course not.” He answers clearly restraining himself. “What do you suggest?” He retorts pointing his blade at me as a challenge. I sigh in annoyance, we were making such good progress too.

“You’re too resilient now…” Eris’ words repeat in my mind.

“I’m the only one who won’t die.” I mutter barely even as loud as a whisper.

“What?” Goodswell replies confused and lowering his blade.

“I’ll strike it and get it’s attention.” I explain beginning to walk towards the now raging rhino.

I stop several meters away from the rhino. It can probably see me as a blur but that does not really matter. I enter a starting sprint position and dive my hands into the harder dirt. Hands of earth, large enough to grab the neck of a rhino. I put all of my focus into creating the large dirt hands. I can still hear the rhino huffing in fury. I need to focus more make sure they can stay together.

Everything goes silent, a first ever for myself. No smells, no sights. Just a void of nothingness.

“Skadi’s tits!” Chaska’s exclamation breaks me out of this senseless void. He definitely has a fixation on that goddess’s bust. The sight of a rhino grappled by a pair of large dirt fists enters my field of view as my sight returns.

“Kill it already!” I yell at the others.

Seemingly immediately in response, Goodswell almost seems to teleport past me as he moves so quickly. The swordsman rapidly thrusts and slashes the rhino’s tough hide. Chaska stands next to me and begins to spin a rope tied to something. The trapper tosses what he was spinning, it appears to be a bear trap, at the rhino. It flies and latches onto the rhino’s lower mouth. Meanwhile, Celosia runs past me from the other side and begins to thrust and slash at the rhino with her machete.

Quickly Celosia and Goodswell stop and clean the blades of their weapons.

“Well I’d say we’re done.” Celosia reports sheathing her machete once more. In response the rhino moans weakly in agony. It is not dead…

“No.” I respond. “It’s not!” I yell lifting up my arms into the air. The dirt fists swiftly jerk the rhino’s neck. The rhino makes one more weak moan before falling silent and slack. “No need to make the mark suffer.” I say unable to hold back my anger at the rest of them.

“Holy pit…” Celosia mutters in response filled with terror.

“Ye-yes ma’am.” Goodswell stammers in reaction to my fury.